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Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White
Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White is an arresting and moving personal story about childhood, race, and identity in the American South, rendered in stunning illustrations by the author,
Lila Quintero Weaver.
In 1961, when Lila was five, she and her family emigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Marion, Alabama, in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt. As educated, middle...more
Paperback, 264 pages
Published
March 1st 2012
by University Alabama Press
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As part of a resolution to read more books by and about Latinos, given the recent attention to the lack of diversity in classroom literature, I made a list of books that I'd like to read this year. Our theme for January and February at our Vamos a Leer Blog was looking at the Civil Rights Movement and Black History through a Latino lens--offering ways that these intersect and overlap. With this in mind, I decided to read Darkroom: a memoir in black & white written by Lila Quintero Weaver (25...more
Providing a unique glimpse into the civil rights struggle in one small Southern town, this graphic novel tells the story of one family's move from Argentina to Marion, a small town in Alabama. When the Quinteros emigrated from their homeland, they expected to return eventually. But over time, Alabama became their home despite some of its more unsavory aspects. The author's use of film, photography, and home movies throughout the book provides a ready metaphor for the perspectives provided by an...more
So I have a vague memory of requesting this after reading a review of it before I went on vacation. When I came back and saw it waiting for me I kind of had a huh? moment. I'm actually very glad that I requested it. It is the memoir of a hispanic woman growing up in a small town in Alabama during the Civil Rights movement. At the time as the author puts it, there were no slurs for them in Alabama yet. She talks a little about feeling like she never quite fit in but a majority of the book is abou...more
At first I thought Quintero Weaver was spelling out too much for the reader and over-explaining things (maybe because it's meant for younger audiences), rather than relying on the combination of text and pictures to let the reader put together understandings through good observation. But as the story went on I appreciated it more and more, especially after learning more about the author. She made the book as part of a project when she was finishing her Bachelor's as a returning student when she...more
Time to read this. Now! Check out my review at: http://bit.ly/WZaT4I
After reading this GN I am reminded how important it is to grow up in a community that validates your identity. I am so thankful I did not grow up in a community where I was the only mixed-ethnicity person. That would not have been fly. However, Lila, the main character of DARKROOM: a memior in black & white, grew up in the south at a time when there were literally no other latinos in town. As Lila puts it there wasn’t even...more
After reading this GN I am reminded how important it is to grow up in a community that validates your identity. I am so thankful I did not grow up in a community where I was the only mixed-ethnicity person. That would not have been fly. However, Lila, the main character of DARKROOM: a memior in black & white, grew up in the south at a time when there were literally no other latinos in town. As Lila puts it there wasn’t even...more
This memoir focuses primarily on the author's experience growing up in the deep South in the 1960s. Weaver has a unique outsider's perspective on race relations during a turbulent period in American history as an immigrant from Argentina. A little fragmented and jumbled, bouncing around different time periods and topics, this was an interesting reminder of how much things have changed, that racial biases continue, and such biases are not limited to the United States.
This is a graphic novel based on the Lila Quintero Weaver's childhood in Perry County, Alabama during the 1960s. She and her family immigrated to rural Alabama from Buenos Aires and the culture shock hit hard. The drawings are beautiful, she has a great artistic style. The title comes from spending time in her father's darkroom (he was an amateur photographer) and watching him develop the negatives of her family's life and the community around her.
this is a memoir of an argentinian woman who moved to alabama with her family at the age of 5 in the early 60s. it's sort of a collection of vignettes rather than a narrative, but it mostly follows linearly and is largely about race relations during that time. as an argentinian, most of lila's classmates don't know what to make of her. her family watches as the civil rights movement causes tensions in marion, alabama and eventually desegregation comes to lila's school. her place as an outsider m...more
Excellent and affecting memoir written in graphic novel form. Focus is on the artist's childhood and youth in small town Alabama during the '60s and the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement. She and her family were from Argentina and had an outsider's viewpoint on the horrors of the situation.
I ran across this book and author by chance at the Arkansas Literary Festival this past April. It is a rare look at the civil rights movement: from the perspective of Latino immigrants to Alabama. Given Alabama's immigration laws today, this book is a reminder of how the past is prologue.
Superb book focusing on an Argentine family of immigrants in 1960s American south. Graphic novel that is excellent - wonderful drawings, interesting material, educational and engaging.
heartfelt graphic memoir that comes from an interesting perspective - civil rights movement through the eyes of an Argentinean family who'd emigrated to the States in the late 40s.
Absolutely fantastic graphic biography of a young South American girl and her family growing up during the height of the civil rights movement in the American South. Gritty and painful at times, Darkroom shows an original and emotional side to the movement.
I liked the potential for this story--growing up Argentinian in 1960s Alabama--but it didn't prove as striking of a perspective as I expected it to be.
Selected as a Girls of Summer 2012 title. See review here. http://girlsofsummerlist.wordpress.co...
An unusual perspective on the Civil Rights movement by an Argentinan who moved to Alabama during grade school in 1961. I enjoyed reading it.
AMAZING. Seriously. I posted my review at my blog: AlabamaLetters.blogspot.com
A brilliant work, demonstrating the delicate interplay between text and graphic found in a great graphic novel. This stands with Harold Cruise's "Stuck Rubber Baby" as a beautifully-illustrated and complex view of the civil rights era.
The author's variety of illustration is as breathtaking as her narrative observations.
The author's variety of illustration is as breathtaking as her narrative observations.
An honest account of growing up in the segregated South, Lila Weaver's graphic novel is intimate and innocent.
Excellent graphic bio. Expecting a big finish, but didn't get one. Still worth a quick read.
Beautiful illustrations and great story.
The illustrations of the graphic novel are gorgeous. It tells the story of Jim Crow Laws in the South from an interesting perspective. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to others.
Nov 28, 2012
Lindsey
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
graphic-novels,
civil-rights,
ya-nonfiction,
esl,
harsh-stuff,
immigration,
latino-american
A fantastic graphic novel that explores what it meant to be an immigrant in Alabama during the time of civil rights' marches, segregation, and Klan activity. This also provides a glimpse into Argentina and its own racial divide. Beautiful illustrations. Loved this memoir for its window into American History and how it chronicles the immigrant experience.
Loved it!
Loved it!
An exceptional graphic memoir. Lila Quintero was a young girl when she immigrated from Argentia to Marion, Alabama with her family in the 1960s where she witnessed segregation and racial violence. A personal story that offers wonderful insights into the immigrant experience and the Civil Rights Movement from a unique perspective.
Full review: http://www.stackedbooks.org/2013/02/d...
Link+ due 11/8/12
May 12, 2013
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May 10, 2013
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May 06, 2013
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